Secret Princess
by LyricalAngelFangirl
Summary: Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess who get everything she wanted. But when she discovers the consequences of her carefree lifestyle, she decides she should save her family from ruin. She gets more than she bargained for.
1. The Debt

_LISE ARC: THE DEBT_

_When I was fifteen, I never expected much out of the ordinary. I was always taught that life would hand over the things that really mattered and I would be set for life. I wasn't aware of cost. I wasn't aware of price. _

"Your Highness," A soldier approached the throne, a look of concern in his eyes, "You have an unexpected visitor waiting for you outside."

"Oh really? Do you know who he is?"

"Well, he said he was a representative from the Rockheim Bank…"

My father chuckled whole heartedly, "Anyone from that bank is a dear friend of the Royal Family! Send him in, right away!"

_I lived here, in the kingdom of Randel, my entire life. I was the youngest daughter born to the throne, though I don't remember much about my sisters… Mom always told me they married and ruled in other kingdoms, though she won't tell me where… But anyway, I've always lived a comfortable life here. Most of our problems here were solved with our wallets. Dad took the time to make sure we enjoyed some of the finer things in life, so I never knew what it was like to desire._

"You must be from the Rockheim Bank!" My father greeted cheerfully as the man entered the room, "And what brings you here today, good sir?"

_And that's when I learned the family secret…_

"Your Majesty, I'm afraid I have a bit of bad news for you." My father's eyes, which were bright and joyful a minute ago, were calm by this point.

"Bad news?" He smiled uneasily, "What could possibly be wrong?"

The representative responded, "To put it bluntly, you have been borrowing large sums of money over the past few years. However, none of it has been paid back." He boldly approached us, "And I'm sorry to say this, but if you cannot repay us 870,004,800 cole back by the end of three years, we will have to foreclose on you."

"Foreclose?" I whispered to my mother, "What does he mean by that?"

My mother shushed me, "Don't worry about it, Lisette. Everything will be ok."

"Foreclose?" My father repeated, "I don't understand. Are you saying that the bank…will take my own kingdom from me?" He nodded solemnly, before leaving us awestruck.

Later that night, my parents were sitting around a small coffee table, talking about the possibilities of how to solve the debt. Both had suggested raising taxes, but knew that if they suddenly raised the taxes, the people would suspect a problem. It was quiet, and I was pretty sure my mother was crying. And that's when it hit me.

_A princess must do her duty._

That morning during lessons, I remembered hearing my etiquette teacher scolding me for some silly mistake before delivering this phrase. I wasn't quite sure I'd ever believe it since I didn't really have a duty anyway. But maybe it _was_ what I needed to solve this family crisis.

And I ended up doing the craziest thing ever. I cut my hair. My beautiful crimson, red locks were spilled all over the floor, and I teared up a bit. Mother always told me how proud she was that I got her beautiful hair, something I grew to have pride in as well. I retreated to my room for whatever clothing I could find: something not too fancy and wouldn't make me stand out from the norm. I instinctively grabbed a black skirt and a beige hat with a black feather. It wasn't exactly my taste in colors, but what was I supposed to do? I had taken a little longer, but I found a matching coat with it as well, the final piece being a red-black blouse. I threw it all on before barely falling out of my bedroom window. Good thing no one was around to hear me.

I stared back at the grand castle, my home. I wasn't sure where I was going or what I was supposed to do, and leaving my only home without any thoughts of where to go was definitely not helping. But without another moment's hesitation, I ran off into the forest that surrounded the castle.

_Nothing comes without a price after all…_

_AHA! Well, I once again ended up re-writing this. I really liked how the second version came out, but I had a hard time following it up, so I chose this instead. It's a simple write, a simple read, and I can follow it up properly. I plan to break it down into as many small chapters as possible, so it might have more a vignette feel to it. Also, the tone might feel a little weird in this chapter. Basically, it's ALL in first-person, but in the italics are Liese's thoughts looking back, and the rest is the action. I probably won't do it again in this style._

_But other than that, I'll try to update this as much as I can over breaks from now on. I just don't have any other time during the school year now that I'm actually doing things. I'm HOPING it will get better after February. I have a huge essay due in the middle of the month but I've made some decent progress. We'll see how it continues._


	2. In the Forest

LISE ARC: IN THE FOREST

So maybe my idea of running off into the middle of a thick forest wasn't exactly a great idea. I knew absolutely nothing about the geography of Randel, other than it bordered our ally nation, Orde, and that the lands were absolutely rich in nutrients. Perhaps paying attention in class would have prepared me for this sort of situation. I was mostly guessing where to go next from several paths that looked like they were supposed to connect together, but were cut off from one another.

After half an hour of running on and off, I had to stop to catch my breath. I had never gone any longer than an hour for a stroll in the garden, but that was often to appreciate the flowers that were growing each season, and I never went any faster than snail's pace. But now I had to find a town and a job as soon as I could.

It was finally morning, and I was really tired. I wanted to lay down and take a nap before continuing on, but I kept hearing grumbles. "Monsters?" I was now regretting not bringing a weapon with me as well. "These past two days have just been so…" The loudest grumble came… and I felt something in my stomach… it took me a minute to realize that I was actually hungry for once! "There must be some berries around here or something… let's see…" I looked through the forest carefully, scouring through trees for any sign of food. "No luck." Shaking the trees and bushes didn't seem to have an effect either. It wasn't until I stood up from a fall that I felt a little extra weight in my pocket. "What is this? A Cant Holtz?" I stared at the brightly packaged snack. I didn't remember packing it with me when I left. Perhaps it was just my imagination. Relieved to finally find food, I ate the whole entire package before moving on.

Before I knew, it was nightfall, and I was going to have to spend the night sleeping in the forest. I was hesitant, as I wasn't sure who else could be around. Dad never wanted me going out into town by myself because of pick pockets who would steal money from anyone they could. They would be out here for sure. And having the pocket money I saved up over the last few years would be like hitting the jackpot for them.

I found a nice place near the base of a rocky mountain. And by nice… I meant nicer than anywhere else I could have slept in the middle of a dense forest. "Oh well. There's nothing else I can do." I placed all of my valuables inside my small backpack I found when I was looking for the jacket. I snuggled it close to my chest tightly, praying for the best.

I surprisingly slept well, and the next morning I was feeling more energetic than ever. I finally found a well-paved path, and a sign dictating that I was in the country of Orde. At least it was friendly soil. It also stated that within a few minutes, I would reach the capitol city of Mysree. "Finally! A town!" My feet automatically took me closer and closer until I was the top of a hill looking down at the city.

I slid down the hill carefully, and found my way into the town square. People were mostly passing by, looking through the windows of general stores or taking their time at outside markets. For some reason, I came to like it right away. Seeing all of those people in the city was exhilarating, exciting… "It's so amazing here…" The whisper escaped my lips, "I have to stay here and find a job..!" But following that was another small rumble. "Well, maybe I ought to get something to eat first…"

_And there you have it! Two chapters done in one day. Again, fairly simple to read since it's the beginning and there isn't too much to it. But I'll probably spend more time on it as things go on._

_Next time we'll get to see Liese's (or in this case, Lise) new house, which is known as a spookhouse. Why do you ask? Who knows. We'll also meet Alf who will become a regular ally of Liese's. And Liese will finally figure out what job she should get in Mysree. (But we all know what it is, don't we?)_

_Anyway, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS! I'm trying to regularly update during the holiday week. So far, I'm proud of myself for actually updating. I don't know if I can tomorrow though since my family is having company. Maybe early in the morning or later in the evening? Regardless, stay tuned. :)_


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